Alright, folks. This one's going to be part review, part rant. Because I love Switchfoot. I think they're an excellent band, and their evolution pleases me with every record they put out. But they're unfortunately the next victims of a half-baked copy protection scheme that is basically screwing their fans out of being able to listen to their music very easily. So I figure I need to address the issue of whether it's even going to be possible for fans to hear this album before going on and addressing what they're actually going to hear.

I remember everyone griping about it back when the newest Dave Matthews Band album came out back in May. That album sucked, so I didn't buy it, and therefore didn't experience the frustration. I don't know if Columbia Records has pulled the same scheme that the DMB's label did, but what I do know is now that I have a physical copy of Nothing Is Sound in my hands, I can't play it on the computer here in my office, because it ignores my CD player program, tells me to turn off WinAmp, and asks to install something that I can't install because I don't have administrative privileges. I've heard similar horror stories from other folks who made the same purchase here today - even if they can get it to play on their own computers (I might be able to get it to work at home), they are very limited in the options they have in terms of being able to copy those files to their computers and burn them to CD's. Yeah, I don't want everyone going around burning a ton of copies of albums for their friends, too. But doing so for yourself is considered fair use, no? Maybe I'm misinformed. It wouldn't be the first time. It's just frustrating to think that no matter how much I liked this CD, I wouldn't be able to use any tracks from it on the mix CD's that I take so much joy in making for my own listening pleasure every few months.

Lucky me, I ended up downloading the thing a few weeks before it came out anyway. That's right, you selfish corporate leeches at Columbia. I illegally downloaded your product. And you know what? I still went out and bought it. I still tried to do the right thing, and what do I get? A nice big bite in the butt, that's what. You know, if you want some sort if customer loyalty - if you want people to actually think your products are worthwhile and purchase them, then they need to maintain the basic functionality that they're advertised to have. Namely, a CD needs to actually play when inserted into a device designed to play it? Does anybody at record labels care about trust, or is it just about the bottom line? Smooth move, monkeys.

Well, as several other consumers are advising, y'all are just going to have to go iTunes or some sort of a similar digital route on this one. From there, maybe you can burn to CD and then re-rip in the format of your choice. Beyond that, just act responsibly. Don't make the mistake I made. My days of needing to own the physical CD all the time might just have ended.

---AND NOW FOR THE ACTUAL REVIEW---

If you liked The Beautiful Letdown, then chances are that you'll like this album.

There, I summed it up in one sentence! Now you can all stop reading.

Oh, you're still here? Very well. I guess I'll go into detail. Be warned, though, I'm still kind of in rant mode. So I'm going to start by addressing the nay-sayers.

First of all, the too-cool-for-you mainstream magazines who think Switchfoot is basically just a bunch of nice Christians with no real bite to them, who make surface level corporate rock for consumers to feel nice to. That's kind of funny, because regardless of their personal beliefs, there are some extremely popular - and highly critically acclaimed - rock bands today who don't spend as much time rocking. OK, so in the pop/landscape, Switchfoot isn't as experimental as some of your really out-there bands. But you know, it's not like every song U2 or even Radiohead puts out is fantastically experimental. Sometimes it's the subtle details that make the difference, and I happen to think that Switchfoot is getting even better at balancing those little details lurking underneath with the brash catchiness that permeates a lot of their choruses. You can be creative and radio-ready all at once. That doesn't necessarily mean you're just trying to fit into the crowd and design everything to offend the fewest ears. Switchfoot can really rock when they want to - and with the addition of new guitarist Andrew Shirley (formerly of All Together Separate) on this project, they get a decent amount of chances to do that. Does a band have to do that on every track to prove themselves, or can they be given some leeway to play with programming and multi-tracked vocals and more expansive or interesting arrangements?

Second of all, the reactionary sons and daughters of moral watchdogs, whose youth groups teach them to criticize anyone from "Christian music" who dares to venture outside the walls of that insulated community to share their gifts with the rest of the world. You know the types - they pore over lyrics for God and Jesus references so that they can decry bands who go "secular" for being turncoats, and yet they don't bother to actually interpret anything they read or listen to. Seriously, I wonder how these fools manage to even read their Bibles. And even if they were right, and there were no direct references to God on this album (which isn't true; what the heck else do you expect the word "Lord" to mean?), it's not like that's a radical change from their past stuff. They've always written about the down-and-out, the messy stuff, the contradictions, the need for grace. If anything, their recent material is much more thematically focused on the lack of true satisfaction to be found in the physical world, and the need for redemption, and it's their old stuff that was more scattered, sometimes singing about supposedly "secular" topics like girls or just plain laziness. I don't recall seeing "Chem 6A" at the top of the Most Popular Worship song charts, so, to be blunt, shut up.

And speaking of Switchfoot's old stuff, there seems to be a contingent, as there will always be when a band adopts a more accessible sound, who insist that they've "sold out". I actually can't be as harsh on that crowd, because in all fairness, there was a rawness and a willingness to play around with song structures and fluid tempos on The Legend of Chin that we haven't seen much of since. That aspect of Switchfoot has been toned down, even though I still think they can be very fiery and playful at times. At the same time, I think they were really hit-and-miss in the old days, and they made an amazingly consistent album in the more streamlined The Beautiful Letdown. So I'm not going to fault them for sticking with what works best on Nothing Is Sound. I think the same spirit is still there, even if the most humorous aspects have been lost. I think the band's still growing and experimenting, and being different in the way that they choose to be different. Come on. It's not like they were once indie rock gods or something.

Now, having said all that, I do have a few reservations of my own. While I admire Nothing Is Sound overall, especially for the new rocking intensity of some of the faster songs, and the heightened passion that Jon Foreman's screams and shouts add to a lot of these songs (poppy rock it may be, but passive pop it isn't), I do have to say that the album seems a bit thematically repetitive after The Beautiful Letdown. Jon Foreman has a thing for contradictions, and clearly he wants to communicate in as many ways as possible that there's more to life. He wants to identify with those who are asking those questions now, about why they even exist. Hey, that's cool. But at some point, you have to go somewhere from there. A few songs seem to probe deeper and hint at a coming change, but for the most part, you could label this one The Beautiful Letdown, Pt. II and few people would bat an eyelash. That'll be great news to anyone who enjoyed the sonic qualities of TBL as I did, but at the same time, it's not gonna win 'em a ton of new fans. The presence of a few weaker songs in the album's second half risk making this a record more known for containing a few very strong singles that one regarded as a solid album through-and-through. I wouldn't say it's as hit-and-miss as New Way to Be Human, since the front half is practically bulletproof, but it falls short of being their best album simply because TBL was excellent from cover to cover.

Lonely Nation
We are the target market, we set the corporate target
We are slaves of what we want
We're just not amused, and we're just used to bad news
And we are slaves of what we want...
This album starts off with a song that really kicks, that's for sure. The drums and some light guitar work provide a solid hook to draw you in, and we're reintroduced to Jon Foreman's half-sleepy voice as he muses during the verses about how supposedly advanced our society is, and yet his generation seems to be completely disconnected from one another. This leads into a very strong chorus where the guitars slam and swell with the measured confidence that worked so well in "Meant to Live" - I actually think this song might top that one in terms of its quality and vision. "Singing without tongues, screaming without lungs" is a great way to describe a society too cool to audibly cry out for help. What really pushes the song over the edge are a few excited screams from Jonathan that match the intensity of the bursts of guitar and drums that fill out the song's bridge - the band zig-zags around these sonic cliffs and valleys like there's nothing to it.

Stars
I've been thinking about the meaning of resistance
Of a hope beyond my own
And suddenly the infinite and penitent
Begin to look like home...
Oh no, it's a happy radio song! Everybody duck and cover! Ok, so the choice of this peppy track as the album's first single may have ticked some fans off. It's got a catchy-as-hell chorus about looking at the stars and finding clarity, and that's going to come across as hopelessly inane to a lot of folks. What can you do? Look deeper, and I think you'll find that it's a song about wanting to see order in a disordered universe. Switchfoot's usual habit of choosing words such as "infinite and penitent" raises the bar quite a bit, I think. One of the song's biggest strengths is the very non-glossy way that it gets revved up, with its cascading drum rolls accompanying a rather hyperactive guitar riff. It sounds like an unpolished moment of a band warming up before a concert, which isn't that far from the truth, given that the band recorded much of this record while in dressing rooms and sound checks on the road. Some might find Jon Foreman's voice to be a bit painful to hear when he hits the high notes on this song, and I can appreciate that, but I've gotten used to him over the years, so I just notice the overall intensity of it.

Happy Is a Yuppie Word
Looking for an orphanage
I'm looking for a bridge I can't burn down
I don't believe the emptiness
I'm looking for the kingdom coming down...
A meandering guitar riff and a disgruntled noise from Jon starts off the album's first mid-tempo track - Switchfoot's actually become a strong enough band that such songs are much more interesting now than some tracks like "Sooner or Later" were on their earlier records. This amusingly titled song, inspired by a quote from a Bob Dylan interview, goes more into depth about the broken nature of pretty much everything. It's funny; I'd usually complain about the rhyming of "fight" with "right" just because it's so obvious, but here, it's genuinely unexpected when John uses the phrase "Nothing is right-side right", simply because I'm used to hearing "right-side up." Little nuances like that always catch my ear, I guess. What's surprising is how much power this song ends up having once it gets going - one of Jon's most passionate moments is when he's yelping "Nothing is sound!" again and again during the bridge. The chorus is more of a sing-song affair, not as off-kilter as something like "The Loser", but still hitting home with a similar message that the world's view of happiness is a rather superficial thing.

The Shadow Proves the Sunshine
Oh Lord, why did you forsake me?
Oh Lord, don't be far away
Storm clouds gathering beside me
Please Lord, don't look the other way...
Two mid-tempo songs in a row seemed to be a dubious proposition this early in the album, and my first glance at the title gave way to mixed feelings - I felt like the band had come up with a good analogy, and then tipped their hand too early by making that analogy the song's title. But I've gotta hand it to then - they've come up with a stellar anthem that may well be their equivalent of a "With or Without You". I don't draw that comparison lightly - I doubt the song will ever reach such heights of universal airplay and respect as the U2 classic. But the way that the song builds upon its layers while maintaining a solid rhythmic undercurrent is very reminiscent of "With or Without You". Instead of a constant, throbbing bass line, drummer Chad Butler provides a fairly light rhythm that has this one loud "SNAP!" of the snare drum, which has a lot of echo to it, giving the song a cavernous effect. The ringing guitars eventually fill this out as the song solidifies. Jon is at his most personal and desperate moment with God, directly referencing Jesus' words on the cross as he cries, "Oh Lord, why did you forsake me?" having gone through those sorts of moments when God seems far away, I can identify with that desperation, and the analogy here is a comforting one - that the very longing for God's presence proves to us that such a thing even exists. Without a source of light, the darkness has no way of knowing how dark it is. I love how Jon more or less duets with himself in falsetto as the song builds towards a climax - the song backs off on the rock factor compared to its surroundings, but it's still a sweeping, intense musical moment.

Easier than Love
Sex is industry
The CEO of corporate policy
Skin-deep ministry
Suburban youth, hailing so-called liberty...
I guess the closest thing to a humorous song on Nothing Is Sound would be this upbeat, fuzzed-out tune written on the topic of sex. I wouldn't say that it's flat-out funny like New Way to Be Human's "Company Car" or Learning to Breathe's "Poparazzi" were, because the song is decidedly more weighty in its observations of a culture that has taken something scared to be shared between two people, and made it commonplace and trashy. What's so amusing here is that Jon personifies sex as a female spokesperson, a CEO of a business, an addictive drug. Something about the way he phrases it and the bluntness of the word "sex" actually appearing so many times just makes me grin (not in a "huh-huh, he said 'sex'" sort of way, but just because he's cleverly tearing through all of the B.S.) The moral of the story, of course, is that sex is "easier than love", which is kind of a "duh" statement to most Christian listeners who have had "SEX IS BAD" drilled into their heads for their entire lives (not true, and that's a whole other review). But what's insightful here is how Jon observers that everyone thinks they can play the romance game and experience meaningful love, when in fact, the very picture of what we even consider to be true love is a lie. Hey, I've watched enough romantic comedies to know this. Even among those that don't have a lot of specifically sexual content, there's a very surface-level message coming out of Hollywood about what it really means to love someone. I like that the song dares to call out that fact for what it is, and that it freakin' rocks in the process. In that sense, it's more like an "Adding to the Noise"-type song, and it'll likely annoy the same folks who didn't really care for that song, but oh well, I happen to love it.

The Blues
Is this the finger, or just another fist?
Is this the kingdom, or just a hit-and-miss?
This piano-driven track is definitely the softest song on the record thus far. It's got a more easygoing feel, but don't be fooled - Switchfoot is still hard at work making sure that the down-and-out have something to sing along to. Taking a page from The Beautiful Letdown's title track, it uses a backing choir to emphasize hope in a day "when the world caves in", just as the last album encouraged us that "I don't belong here". Here, the focus is less on what losers we Christians are on our own (they readily admit that in several other songs), and more on the age-old question of why the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, the meek get trampled and the wicked seem to get away with it. It's an apt question to ask in a day when we still have heightened worries about terrorism and when natural disasters indiscriminately deluge major cities. Switchfoot only hints at the happy ending here, preferring to just dwell in the uneasiness for a while, to let the others with bootprints on their backs know that they've been there too, and that this is normal, even for people of strong faith. There are lots of lyrical gems included in the various contrasts Jon makes here - it would be hard to completely dissect them all.

The Setting Sun
Let the weak say "I am strong", and it won't be long
Let the right say "I was wrong", and it won't be long...
The second half of the album opens with a promise of a hopeful future for those who had "The Blues" - in truth, it's more of a pedestrian pop song than we've heard from this album thus far, but the band makes sure to still ramp it up with a good amount of rocking energy, including an triumphant shout of "Yeah!" right at the beginning. The analogy of the sun setting on a broken world isn't as strong as the imagery in several of the other songs (plus, we've already heard a song about the sunshine), so this song's main strength lies in its effervescent melody. I guess it's more of a "More than Fine" type of song, which, now that I think about it, mentions the sunrise a lot. OK, Switchfoot, time for some new analogies.

Politicians
Entropy and aching, where have we been aiming?
Everything is fading out, fading out
We are the faded, splitted, and sedated
Everything is fading out, fading out...
Well, if I had a nickel for every high-octane rock song dedicated to telling us politicians were bad, then I'd have like ten bucks. But while this is definitely the most venomous and loud song on the record by far (both in terms of the slamming drums and guitars and in terms of Jon's excited yowling), it's not the government-is-secretly-screwing-you-over type song you'd expect. In typical Switchfoot fashion, Jon is turning the finger around and pointing it at us (himself included), saying that we're the conniving lobbyists who will stop at nothing to get our way. Basically, the equivalent of the "tax collectors and sinners" that Jesus got maligned for hanging out with. OK, good start, but where the song falters a bit is in the way that it never bothers to tell us what we, as politicians, are doing that is so evil. "Waiting for the sky to get torn apart" is really about all we get. Beyond that, it's more of the usual Switchfoot shtick about stuff being broken. That's kind of disappointing, but it's easy to forget about it in the midst of all the slamming and thrashing and yelling. Switchfoot is by no means a punk band - they're poppy even in their edgiest moments, and because of that, there are some people that they'll never have any rock cred with. But shoot, if I heard this one live, I don't think I'd ever question their legitimacy as a rock band again.

Golden
We've been talkin' about a feeling
We both know inside but couldn't find the words
I couldn't write this verse, I've seldom been so sure
About anything before...
And here we go back to unabashed pop song mode, with the album's breeziest, and unfortunately most ineffective, song. Again, we've got a pleasant melody, and an overall tone of encouragement, and those aren't bad things, but I have a hard time making a specific connection to the girl in this song that Jon is trying to make feel special. Positive points here are the background vocals that weave in between Jon's repeated assurance that "You are golden, you are golden, child", and the strong chorus melody - it's unfortunate that it had to be used on something so repetitive. As far as weak moments on a Switchfoot album go, I think it's still a lot better than dull songs like "You" or "Amy's Song", so I won't complain. But a lot of fans have rightfully agreed that this is the album's low point.

The Fatal Wound
This is the real thing, no rubber bullets now
This is the final bow
My breath avoids me, my chest is in my head
My stomach's upside down...
One of the more interesting ballads shows up here, with a cold acoustic strum leading it off and more of a grinding, slow rock motif taking over as Jon contemplates life at the bitter end, where hope has run out. The tone here is one of unabashed disenchantment, which is surprising for Switchfoot, but again, I think they're trying to identify with those who feel no hope, and progress from there back to a place of hope. I might take some issue with the ordering of the songs, given that this sad song is isolated between much happier ones. But when that little harmonica interlude comes in, there's no doubt that they've really nailed the mood on this one.

We Are One Tonight
Two eyes, one tongue, I've come undone
I'm no victim, I paid these dues, I came to lose...
The album's final upbeat track is one that I'm having a tough time really getting into. It's pleasant and hooky enough, and its call for unity among the broken and isolated souls of Switchfoot's generation is admirable, but something about it seems out of place for Switchfoot. Maybe it's too rapid of a change of moods after "The Fatal Wounds", but I think the bigger problem I'm having here is that this one basically sounds like a leftover Delirious? song. Hey, I like Delirious? quite a bit, and no one can whip a congregation into an excited fervor in quite the same way that they do. Maybe it's just that the lyrics aren't quite up to par with what I expect from Switchfoot, and so I associate them with a band who can play good music, but isn't always as strong in the lyrics department. The way Jon starts rambling at the end of the song about how we're "still fighting it out" is semi-amusing, but that trick was more or less already employed on "Gone", so whatever the case, I kind of think this one could have been left as a B-side.

Daisy
Pain, give yourself a name
Call yourself contrition, avarice of blame
Giving isn't easy, neither is the rain
When she gives herself away...
Thankfully, despite a less solid back half, the band quickly redeems themselves with a stellar closer. The acoustic guitar, tuned in such a way as to really bring out both light and dark tones in the eerily descending chord sequence, makes this song feel like a more sophisticated "Don't Be There" (hey, look old-school fans, it's a Legend of Chin reference!) The song is about another dissatisfied girl who needs to "Let it go" because "this fallen world doesn't hold your interest" - another CCM cliché at this point, but at least it's artfully played in terms of the music. In all fairness, the lyrics are a bit more poetic here than they were in "Golden", and the band pulls a surprise move by switching from acoustic mode into a slamming, dramatic coda, bending the chord sequence a bit and giving Jon one last shot to do some of those trademark shouts. "Let it go!" sounds a lot better screamed than just sung, and man, I've never heard this guy wail so intensely. The song kind of trails off suddenly just when it seems to be developing into an epic, but it's still a very memorable note to end on.

It'll be interesting to see where Switchfoot goes here - both stylistically, and in terms of their fanbase. Nothing Is Sound has the unfortunate distinction of being a good record that follows an excellent one, so between that and the fickle nature of radio and the general public, it's possible that the growth of their fanbase could stall out here. Given that numbers are most record labels' sole motivation and nobody seems to care whether a band is actually good any more, this could have the unfortunate effect of cutting short their day in the sun as a well-known mainstream band. But I guess few bands can ride such heights forever, anyway. And I don't think Switchfoot is gonna totally crash and burn - they're still a very good band and I think they'll play to whoever's willing to listen even if that crowd decreases in size. Basically all I'm saying is that if you didn't like 'em last time around, I don't expect this album to change your mind. But if you were on board with The Beautiful Letdown, or even if you heard a few catchy singles and were just curious, then I'm fairly certain that you'll enjoy this one.

Technical difficulties notwithstanding, of course.

ALBUM WORTH:
Lonely Nation $2
Stars $2
Happy Is a Yuppie Word $2
The Shadow Proves the Sunshine $2
Easier than Love $2
The Blues $1.50
The Setting Sun $1
Politicians $1
Golden $.50
The Fatal Wound $1
We Are One Tonight $.50
Daisy $1.50
TOTAL: $17

Band Members:
Jon Foreman: Lead vocals, guitars
Tim Foreman: Bass, backing vocals
Chad Butler: Drums
Jerome Fontamillas: Keyboards, guitars
Andrew Shirley: Guitars

Website: http://www.switchfoot.com

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving